Hello! I’m trying to look at apartments in Shinagawa / Shinagawa Seaside. Searching on this subreddit tells me that people seem to find Shinagawa Seaside to be a nice place to live, but looking at google maps / watching random videos of people walking around this area it feels very “new construction, nice, but sort of soulless with lots of tall buildings and clean sidewalks and wide busy streets.” I see there are lots of parks there, but the parks again seem sort of large, corporate sponsor type vibe.
I literally have no idea what I’m talking about and I fully 100% realize that, so no offense intended here (I’m going off of a handful of youtube videos and google maps basically).
The “feeling” I’m really hoping for is smaller / quieter side streets with smaller apartments, perhaps some older style buildings even, shopping streets with small businesses (not just mega malls), etc.
I am also somewhat seriously considering trying to live in Shibuya, perhaps in the “Jingumae” neighborhood (if that’s the correct term), somewhere walking distance to Yoyogi park but still a direct train to Shinagawa Seaside for work. Does this seem like a vastly superior option in terms of quality of life / the “vibe” I’m talking about? This looks like a roughly 50,000 per month difference in price for a 1LDK?
Thanks for your time reading, your thoughts, anything is useful as I try to process this!
8 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Can you help me understand Shinagawa / Shinagawa Seaside and if there are areas of it that feel more warm or soulful or cozy?**
Hello! I’m trying to look at apartments in Shinagawa / Shinagawa Seaside. Searching on this subreddit tells me that people seem to find Shinagawa Seaside to be a nice place to live, but looking at google maps / watching random videos of people walking around this area it feels very “new construction, nice, but sort of soulless with lots of tall buildings and clean sidewalks and wide busy streets.” I see there are lots of parks there, but the parks again seem sort of large, corporate sponsor type vibe.
I literally have no idea what I’m talking about and I fully 100% realize that, so no offense intended here (I’m going off of a handful of youtube videos and google maps basically).
The “feeling” I’m really hoping for is smaller / quieter side streets with smaller apartments, perhaps some older style buildings even, shopping streets with small businesses (not just mega malls), etc.
I am also somewhat seriously considering trying to live in Shibuya, perhaps in the “Jingumae” neighborhood (if that’s the correct term), somewhere walking distance to Yoyogi park but still a direct train to Shinagawa Seaside for work. Does this seem like a vastly superior option in terms of quality of life / the “vibe” I’m talking about? This looks like a roughly 50,000 per month difference in price for a 1LDK?
Thanks for your time reading, your thoughts, anything is useful as I try to process this!
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(Shinagawa resident here.)
It sounds like you understand the areas you speak of just fine. Shinagawa and areas around it are, besides the obvious offices etc, either sleepy older residential or modern sleek residential.
Around Shinagawa I’d suggest Omori and Nishi-Oi maybe. These are all residential neighborhoods, besides the occasional large office building.
Bear in mind though that these will not compare in terms of cafes or whatever vs Shibuya, Yoyogi, Meguro, Shimokitazawa etc – these are not trendy areas.The Shinagawa area really is where you choose to trade away fashionableness (not a word I know) to have your money go further in the actual place you live in, imo.
> new construction, nice, but sort of soulless with lots of tall buildings and clean sidewalks and wide busy streets
Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Not my vibe, personally.
> The “feeling” I’m really hoping for is smaller / quieter side streets with smaller apartments, perhaps some older style buildings even, shopping streets with small businesses (not just mega malls), etc.
I would not suggest living in Shinagawa, then.
> but still a direct train to Shinagawa Seaside for work
Kind of hard since it’s only served by one train (Rinkai Line) that only really serves the seaside island areas (ie: Tokyo Teleport). You’ll have to transfer if you don’t want to live in the new high rise vibe of the area.
Yoyogi is good, but pricey. What about Ebisu? There’s two lines that connect to the Rinkai Line that depart from that station. Iidabashi/Ichigaya (Yurakucho Line) might also be worth looking at; Yurakucho connects to Rinkai as well. Nippori/Nishi-Nippori is further, but definitely has what you’re looking for.
I used to live in Shinagawa-ku. How about Oimachi? It strikes me as being an older area. There were some old-timey restaurants and bars near the station that I passed by when I went to City Hall. There’s also a Hanamasa nearby for cheap groceries. And it has good train connections. Personally the area wasn’t for me but maybe you’ll like it.
I personally don’t think paying the premium for Ebisu is worth it unless you really like the area. And it gets really crowded so I’d find the crowds annoying after a while.
Edit: saw your comment saying your wife wants to live somewhere desirable. In that case, ignore Oimachi and maybe consider Jiyuugaoka. Trendy area and 30min commute via the Oimachi and Rinkai lines. The rent should be cheaper than Ebisu too (though it’ll still be more expensive than quieter residential areas).
Jiyugaoka
i recommend komaba (northern tip of meguro; i live here atm) or tomigaya (near yoyogi park; i’ve walked/cycled through here many times) for a more quaint neighbourhood with access to very nice parks that’s relatively close to shibuya station and 1-2 straightforward transfers away from your workplace
edit: i love komaba because it’s a 20-25 minute walk from shimokitazawa, yoyogi, nakameguro, and shibuya station if you can handle hills, there are lots of trees, the local train line is lovely (inokashira-sen), and there’s a central shopping street that isn’t too crowded so you have easy access to daily necessities
If by Shinagawa, you mean the Shinagawa Starion area, then I’d suggest Kita-Shinagawa/Shimbamba/Aomono-Yokacho for a smaller, shitamachi-Raquel vibe along the old Tokaido road. These areas don’t have much of a weekend night life though, if that’s important to you.
If you mean anywhere in Shinagawa Ward, then any stations with a shopping street along the Oimachi line, like Hatanodai, Ebara-Machi, or Nakanobu.
Edit: just noticed you wrote you will work at Shinagawa Seaside. While transferring at Oimachi to the Rinkai is possible, it’s a long transfer. Maybe stick to the old Tokaido road area and bike to work.
I’ve been living in Shinagawa Seaside for the past 15 years, in one of those new tower mansions (well, two different ones, since we moved from our 2LKD to a 4LDK with the birth of our second child).
This area doesn’t really have much of a local flavor to it: the main hub is the Aeon department store above the station, and a few shops located there (of note is Burger King, and the the Thai place is ok). I really think this is a great place to live – very convenient to the train station, large super market at Aeon, Shinagawa International School is a walkable distance, the Rinkai line is convenient if you want to get to Shibuya / Shinjuku easily, there is a large park across the canal, and it is more or less quiet except for the occasional noise from the wangan-sen highway when the motorcycle gangs drive through.
There aren’t good options for drinking or bars / clubs. It’s just not the place for that. Aomono Yokocho is the local shopping area, and my wife likes Uofuji the fish shop, but otherwise we don’t do much there. There isn’t anything in the way of hip stuff around here. You can walk the tokaidou road and there are the 7 temples on there, heading up to Kita Shinagawa or something is kind of interesting.
It’s a great place to raise a family (in my opinion and experience of course).